The Bureau were a new wave soul group formed in November 1980 in Birmingham, England, when the original lineup of Dexys Midnight Runners split-up. The Bureau retained their Dexys roots and played powerful brass-driven soul sounds.
Ex-Dexys members Pete Williams (bass), Geoff Blythe (tenor sax), Steve Spooner (alto sax), Stoker (drums), and Mick Talbot (keyboards) engaged the services of manager Dave Corke, a previous manager of Dexys Midnight Runners, and promoted concerts in Birmingham to raise money to finance the group.
In December 1980 the band were joined by Rob Jones (guitar and trumpet), and Archie Brown (vocals) from a group called The Upset, which had supported Dexys on tour. The Bureau began rehearsals with a trombonist known only as Jake (formerly of the R&B, soul, funk act Gonzalez), who came and went.
In February 1981 The Bureau signed a deal with record label WEA and recorded their debut single "Only For Sheep/The First One" with producer Pete Winfield (who had produced Dexys' album Searching for the Young Soul Rebels) at London's Vineyard Studios. A video was recorded for "Only For Sheep" before the band left the UK for debut tour dates in the Netherlands and Belgium. Permanent trombone player Paul Taylor was recruited at the eleventh hour and joined the group for the dates. The first ever gig in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, was reviewed in UK music paper NME and the second gig at the Paradiso Club, Amsterdam, was recorded for Dutch radio. "Only For Sheep" was released in March 1981 and was a hit in Australia, reaching No. 6, but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart.
I have sold myself through and through
I have walked in the darkness too
Felt a red sun, the living proof
Washed my hands in the honest truth
I have carried this weight time after time
I have bettered the dumb and the blind
I've seen dignity fail and colours run
Seen justice denied by the voice of a gun
And we walk, yes we walk
And we walk with the power every day
Never letting the light slip away
Reaching out, reaching in
Touching truth and touching skin
Never letting the light slip away
And we walk with the power every day
If my faith is a fire then burn baby burn
We've held fire long enough to learn
Heat beneath hope is a healing light
Kept alive by the flames of night
Walk tall in the power day after day
Never, never, never lose sight of the way
See the dawn come and the dusk hang